Rotary pumps or engines of the sliding, rocking, abutment type

ABSTRACT

A rotary pump or engine of the sliding rocking abutment type having an orbiting displacement member operating in a body cavity with abutments moving therewith and rocking in rocking members mounted in the body and having in each rocking member a passageway, or passageways the orifices of which coact with parts of the pump body so that as the abutments and rocking members are moved by the displacement member, the orifices are opened and closed by coaction with the body parts. The displacement member is provided with an internal chamber in which a further displacement member operates to give an inner pump of the sliding rocking abutment type.

United States Patent [1 1 Stenner [451 Sept. 30, 1975 1 ROTARY PUMPS OR ENGINES OF THE SLIDING, ROCKING, ABUTMENT TYPE 21 Appl. No.: 349,750

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Apr. 10, 1972 New Zealand 166832 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/1906 Steele 418/61 R 2/1913 Kinney A 418/65 8/1920 Johnson 418/61 R 1,419,915 6/1922 Bowser 418/57 2,800,274 7/1957 Makaroff et a1. 418/67 3,563,678 2/1971 Sadler 418/64 3,703,344 11/1972 Reitter 418/61 R Primary Examiner.1ohn .1, Vrablik Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Holman & Stern [57] ABSTRACT A rotary pump or engine of the sliding rocking abutment type having an orbiting displacement member operating in a body cavity with abutments moving therewith and rocking in rocking members mounted in the body and having in each rocking member a passageway, or passageways the orifices of which coact with parts of the pump body so that as the abutments and rocking members are moved by the displacement member, the orifices are opened and closed by coaction with the body parts. The displacement member is provided with an internal chamber in which a further displacement member operates to give an inner pump of the sliding rocking abutment type.

4 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures US. Patent Sept. 30,1975 Sheet 2 of5 3,909,161

FIG. 2.

US. Patent Sept. 30,1975 Sheet 3 of5 3,909,161

US Patent Sept. 30,1975 Sheet 4 of5 3,909,161

US. Patent Sept. 30,1975 Sheet50f5 v 3,909,161

ROTARY PUMPS OR ENGINES OF THE SLIDING, ROCKING, ABUTMENT TYPE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to rotary pumps or engines of the sliding rocking abutment type, that is to say a rotary pump having a body with at least one variable volume chamber therein, a piston or displacement member moving in the or each said chamber so as to cause a variable volume action in that chamber, a sliding rocking abutment movable by said displacement member for each said variable volume chamber, members defining a passageway or passageways whereby fluid may be admitted to and delivered from said or each of said variable volume chambers and a rocking member for each said abutment, said rocking member being mounted in said body so that the abutment slides therein causing a rocking movement of said rocking member during movement of said displacement member.

OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In one aspect, it is an object of the present invention to provide a rotary pump or engine which is simple to construct yet effective in use or which will at least provide the public with a useful choice.

Accordingly in one aspect, the invention consists in a rotary engine comprising a body having a cavity defined by an internal peripheral wall and opposed end walls, a shaft rotatably supported in the body, a displacement member journalled eccentrically on said shaft to describe an orbital path within the cavity upon relative rotation between the shaft and the housing, a plurality of vanes, one of which is disposed radially relative to said displacement member and the others of which are adapted to rotate over an are relative to said displacement member, rocking members rockably mounted in a mounting therefor in said body and having members defining a vane slot therein, suitable clearances being provided between each vane and the displacement member, the housing peripheral wall and the housing end walls divide the cavity into a plurality of chambers, the volume of each chamber varying as the displacement member orbits and means to regulate the admission to and exhausting from each chamber in sequence of a working fluid to induce orbiting of the piston member and resultant relative rotation between the shaft and the housing.

In a further aspect, the invention consists in a pump comprising a housing having a cavity defined by an internal peripheral wall and opposed end walls, a shaft rotatably supported in the housing, a piston member journalled eccentrically on said shaft to describe an orbital path within the cavity upon relative rotation between the shaft and the housing, a plurality of vanes disposed on the periphery of said piston member, one of said vanes being disposed radially and the others of said vanes being rotatably mounted on said piston member so as to move through an arc of movement, a rocking member for each said vane mounted in a mounting therefor in said body and having members defining a vane slot therein in which the appropriate vane slides, sealing means operatively disposed be tween each vane and the piston member, the housing peripheral wall and the housing end walls divide the cavity into a plurality of chambers, the volume of each chamber varying as the piston member orbits and means to regulate the admission to and exhausting from each chamber in sequence of a working fluid so that orbiting of the piston member causes such working fluid to be drawn into a chamber and pumped out therefrom with a pumping action.

In rotary pumps or engines of the type described, it is desirable that a valve should be provided, for example, on the delivery side of the machine when used as a pump so that as the pressure generated in the pumping chamber by movement of the piston or displacement member therein approaches a desired pressure, the valve should be opened to permit flow of fluid from the pump through the delivery means and when the discharge of fluid is completed, the valve should be closed. In rotary engines of the type described, a valve action is needed in each chamber to give correct engine action.

The usual valves in this position are either what is known as a Clack valve, that is to say a loose valve which is lifted by the pressure differential between the pumping chamber and the delivery means or a poppet valve. However, such valves are noisy and are subject to wear or necessitate complicated valve operating mechanism.'

It is therefore an object of the present invention in a still further aspect to provide a valve means for a rotary pump or engine of the type described and/or a rotary pump or engine of the type described which will enable the foregoing disadvantages to be met in a simple yet effective manner or which will at least provide the publie with a useful choice.

Accordingly in one aspect, the invention consists in a valve means comprising a body, members defining fluid passageways in said body, a variable volume chamber in said body, a movable displacement member in said chamber, a rocking member rockably mounted in a mounting therefor in said body, and having members defining an abutment member slot therein, an abutment member movable by said displacement member and slidable in said slot so as to rock said rocking member in its mounting, members defining a passageway in said rocking member, with members defining an inner and an outer orifice at appropriate ends of said passageway and parts of said body adjacent said rocking member mounting which coact with a selected one of said orifices to place said chamber in communication with said fluid passageway in said body through said passageway in said rocking member when the latter is appropriately positioned by movement of said abutment member due to movement of said displacement member, the movement 'of said rocking member causing said parts of said body adjacent said rocking member mounting to coact with said selected one of said orifices in other dispositions of said rocking member to prevent passage of fluid through said passageway in said rocking member.

One preferred form of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which,

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a partly diagrammatic cross section of a three cylinder rotary engine according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross section of the engine shown in FIG. 1 and,

FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 are partly diagrammatic cross sections of forms of a pump according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to the drawings a rotary engine according to the invention is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 having a body 1 in which a displacement member or piston 2 is orbited by being mounted eccentrically in end members and 11 of the body 1. The engine shown is a three cylinder engine and accordingly three variable volume chambers i.e. combustion chambers referenced 3,4 and 5 are provided by abutment members 6,7 and 8 respectively. The abutment members in turn move in rocking members 9 mounted in the body 1. The rocking members 9 obstruct communications from the chambers 3, 4 and 5 with passageways 12 provided in the body 1. The abutment member 6 is fixed relative to the piston 2 by being welded, bolted or otherwise fastened thereto and the abutment members 7 and 8 have rocking connections and 16 respectively with the piston 2. The rocking connections comprise a cylindrical hole with an open slot smaller than the hole diameter in which a bulbous enlargement 13 engages. The rocking members 9 each have a passageway 17 therein, each passageway having an orifice at each end bearing the references 18 and 19 which coact with adjacent parts of the body 20 and 21 so that as the rocking members 9 rock, the orifices 18 and 19 are either covered or uncovered by the appropriate parts of the body.

Referring to FIG. 2, it will be seen that the body is made up of a casing 22 with which is associated the pair of end plates 10 and 11. The end plates have a gallery 23 for fuel, a gallery 24 for air, a gallery 25 for cooling water and a gallery 26 for exhaust with connections leading appropriately to the chambers and other parts as desired. The end plates also carry bearings 27 for a main shaft 28. The main shaft has a main eccentric 29 and associated bearing 30 which coact with the piston or displacement member 2 causing the latter to orbit, that is to say the member 2 moves in a cycle within the chambers 3, 4 and 5 but does not rotate, being prevented from rotation by the fixing of the abutment member 6 to the piston 2. To provide for adjustment of the piston 2 relative to the internal wall of casing 22, a further eccentric 14 is provided and by adjusting the position of the piston 2 on the eccentric 14 and then fixing them to each other, clearance of the piston 2 in casing 22 may be adjusted.

A pumping system is provided within the piston 2 by a further piston displacement member 31 mounted on the shaft 28 either with the shaft 28 rotating within the further piston 31 or by means of a further eccentric 32 so that the further piston 31 is given an orbiting movement by rotation of the shaft 28 and eccentric 32. The eccentric 32 may be adjusted for clearance by an eccentric similar to the eccentric 14.

In substantially the same way as above described, vanes 34 divide the space between the external wall 35 of the further piston and the internal wall 36 of the piston 2 into chambers 37, 38 and 39 with the vanes 34 being mounted in the piston 2 in rocking members 51 having passageways 52 therein which coact with parts of the piston 2 to cause opening and closing thereof as the vanes rock in their mountings to cause communication through passageways 53 to the chambers 3, 4 and 5 as appropriate. The opposite ends of the vanes 34 are also mounted in rockable members 55 having passageways 56. The vanes 34 reach into chambers 61 and the chambers 61 may be used as pumps e.g. fuel injection pumps for pumping fuel into the appropriate chambers 37,38 or 39 and these chambers in turn are used as air injection pumps adapted to pump air into the chambers 3, 4 or 5 as the engine operates through its cycle of operation. Air is admitted through apertures 62 in the end walls 10 and l l to chambers 37,38 and 39 and similarly fuel may be admitted through similar apertures 63 for pumping in chambers 61.

Spark plugs 64 are provided to cause ignition of a gas air mixture in the chambers 3, 4 and 5.

The relative dimensions of the two pistons 2 and 31 and the eccentrics 29 and 32 are chosen so that parts of the surfaces 35 and 36 contact each other as the piston 31 orbits. In addition, the piston 2 has parts of its surface 65 contacting the inner surface 66 of the chambers 3,4 and 5 again as shown in FIG. 1. Accordingly in use there is a pumping action in thechambers 37, 38 and 39, the pumping action in the chambers 61 and a two stroke internal combustion actionin the chambers 3, 4 and 5, with the various valves operating in accordance with the usual cycles of such pumps and two stroke internal combustion engines. However, because of the valve action in the rocking members 9, the valve mechanism is much simpler and there is the particular advantage that a two stroke engine is provided in which the exhaust gases are positively swept out of the combustion spaces and without any intermingling of the incoming gases with the exhaust gases.

Referring to FIG. 3, a pump construction is shown in that figure which is substantially the same as the engine construction shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 except that air inlets 71 are provided and the construction internal of the piston 2 is of a single chamber further pump provided by a further piston 72 and vane 73 with the latter rocking in a rocking member 74, the vane 73 being fixed to the vane 6 at 75. Thus, a two stage pump is pro vided within the same compass as a single cylinder pump.

Fig. 4 is a construction similar to that shown in FIG. 1 but for use as a pump and not as an engine. Similar parts are given similar references in this figure to those shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 shows a pump having four pumping chambers 81, 82,83 and 84, separated from each other by vanes 85,86,87 and 88, each being interconnected with the piston or displacement member 89 with the member being fixed as shown and the members 86,87 and 88 being pivoted as at 90, and the fixing of the vane 85 being shown at 91. The vanes rock in rocking members 92,93,94 and and these vanes again have passageways 96 co-operating with parts of the body 101 in the same manner as above described. This construction shows that any reasonable plurality of piston chambers may be provided.

The rotary engine may be used as a two or four stroke engine and passageways similar to passageways 17 may be provided in the rocking members 9 on the other side of the vanes 7 as well as on the side shown to give a desired valving action. However, as a two stroke engine, the construction has particular advantages because of the positive swept exhaust above referred to and because interchanging may be effected by the pump internal of the piston 2, and fuel injection effected in chambers 61.

Furthermore, each chamber is sealed during its power stroke throughout the full length of that stroke.

The construction may be used in one or other of the forms shown:

a. As a device for pressurization of fluids either separately or mixed.

b. For metering and mixing of any number of fluids either gaseous or liquid and pressurization of same at any point in a cycle.

c. To provide for an infinite variation of output by the alteration in dimension of one component. Thus, by varying the diameter of the piston or the length of the piston 2 and casing 22, the swept volume is readily altered.

d. For multi stage pumping within itself.

e. As a pump particularly for refrigeration purposes.

It will be clear that when used as a pump, the movement of the vanes 34 in the cavities 61 in association with the inner and outer pump may be used as a three stage pump and, of course, the inner and outer pump may be used as a two stage pump as will be clear from the forms of the invention shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

It is also envisaged that, if desired, a modular construction may be provided in which a series of pumps or engines may be placed end to end with the shafts interconnected by dogs, preferably with phase differences between the displacement members of adjacent pumps or engines to provide a modular assembly, each unit in the assembly being according to the foregoing.

I claim:

1. A pump comprising a housing having a cavity defined by an internal peripheral wall and opposed end walls, a shaft rotatably supported in the housing, a piston member journalled eccentrically on said shaft to describe an orbital path within the cavity upon relative rotation between the shaft and the housing, a plurality of vanes disposed on the periphery of said piston member, one of said vanes being disposed radially and the other of said vanes being rotatably mounted on said piston member so as to move through an arc of movement, a rocking member for each said vane mounted in a mounting therefor in said body and having members defining a vane slot therein in which the appropriate vane slides, sealing means operatively disposed between each vane and the piston member, the housing peripheral wall and the housing end walls to divide the cavity into a plurality of chambers, the volume of each chamber varying as the piston member orbits and means to regulate the admission to and exhausting from each chamber in sequence of a working fluid so that orbiting of the piston member causes such working fluid to be drawn into a chamber and pumped out therefrom with a pumping action in which at least one valve for each chamber is provided by a through passageway in the rocking member of a vane associated with that chamber, said passageway coacting with parts of the mounting adjacent to which said rocking member rocks so that the parts of the mounting open and close an orifice at each end of said passageway independent of the vanes, said displacement member being a hollow cylinder, and a further displacement member mounted within said hollow cylinder, said further displacement member being provided with at least one vane and valve means, the construction and arrangement being such that said further displacement member coacts with the inner wall of said first displacement member to act as an inner pump, said further displacement member carrying a plurality of vanes sliding in rocking members, said rocking members carrying passageways having orifices adapted to coact with parts of said first displacement member to form valve means connecting appropriate chambers on said inner pump means with other passageways.

2. A rotary engine comprising a body having a cavity defined by an internal peripheral wall and opposed end walls, a shaft rotatably supported in the body, a displacement member journalled eccentrically on said shaft to describe an orbital path within the cavity upon relative rotation between the shaft and the housing, a plurality of vanes, one of which is disposed radially relative to said displacement member and the others of which are adapted to rotate over an arc relative to said displacement member, rocking members rockably mounted in a mounting therefor in said body and having members defining a vane slot therein, with suitable clearances being provided between each vane and the displacement member, the housing peripheral wall and the housing end walls dividing the cavity into a plurality of chambers, the volume of each chamber varying as the displacement member orbits, and means to regulate the admission to and exhausting from each chamber in sequence of a working fluid to induce orbiting of the displacement member and resultant relative rotation between the shaft and the housing in which at least one valve for each chamber is provided by a through passageway in the rocking member of a vane associated with that chamber, said passageway coacting with parts of the mounting adjacent to which said rocking member rocks so that the parts of the mounting open and close an orifice at each end of said passageway independently of the vane, said displacement member being a hollow cylinder, a further displacement member mounted within said hollow cylinder, said further displacement member being provided with at least one abutment member and valve means, the construction and arrangement being such that said further displace ment member coacts with the inner wall of said first displacement member to act as an inner pump, said further displacement member carrying a plurality of abutments sliding in rocking members, said rocking members carrying passageways having orifices adapted to coact with parts of said first displacement member to form valve means connecting appropriate chambers on said inner pump with other passageways.

3. The structure as claimed in claim 2 including members defining fluid passage-ways in said body, said fluid passage-ways being operatively connected to said means to regulate the admission to and exhausting from each chamber in sequence of a working fluid to induce orbiting of the displacement member and relative rotation between the shaft and housing,

4. The structure as claimed in claim 2 in cluding ignition means operatively connected to each of the respective chambers. 

1. A pump comprising a housing having a cavity defined by an iNternal peripheral wall and opposed end walls, a shaft rotatably supported in the housing, a piston member journalled eccentrically on said shaft to describe an orbital path within the cavity upon relative rotation between the shaft and the housing, a plurality of vanes disposed on the periphery of said piston member, one of said vanes being disposed radially and the other of said vanes being rotatably mounted on said piston member so as to move through an arc of movement, a rocking member for each said vane mounted in a mounting therefor in said body and having members defining a vane slot therein in which the appropriate vane slides, sealing means operatively disposed between each vane and the piston member, the housing peripheral wall and the housing end walls to divide the cavity into a plurality of chambers, the volume of each chamber varying as the piston member orbits and means to regulate the admission to and exhausting from each chamber in sequence of a working fluid so that orbiting of the piston member causes such working fluid to be drawn into a chamber and pumped out therefrom with a pumping action in which at least one valve for each chamber is provided by a through passageway in the rocking member of a vane associated with that chamber, said passageway coacting with parts of the mounting adjacent to which said rocking member rocks so that the parts of the mounting open and close an orifice at each end of said passageway independent of the vanes, said displacement member being a hollow cylinder, and a further displacement member mounted within said hollow cylinder, said further displacement member being provided with at least one vane and valve means, the construction and arrangement being such that said further displacement member coacts with the inner wall of said first displacement member to act as an inner pump, said further displacement member carrying a plurality of vanes sliding in rocking members, said rocking members carrying passageways having orifices adapted to coact with parts of said first displacement member to form valve means connecting appropriate chambers on said inner pump means with other passageways.
 2. A rotary engine comprising a body having a cavity defined by an internal peripheral wall and opposed end walls, a shaft rotatably supported in the body, a displacement member journalled eccentrically on said shaft to describe an orbital path within the cavity upon relative rotation between the shaft and the housing, a plurality of vanes, one of which is disposed radially relative to said displacement member and the others of which are adapted to rotate over an arc relative to said displacement member, rocking members rockably mounted in a mounting therefor in said body and having members defining a vane slot therein, with suitable clearances being provided between each vane and the displacement member, the housing peripheral wall and the housing end walls dividing the cavity into a plurality of chambers, the volume of each chamber varying as the displacement member orbits, and means to regulate the admission to and exhausting from each chamber in sequence of a working fluid to induce orbiting of the displacement member and resultant relative rotation between the shaft and the housing in which at least one valve for each chamber is provided by a through passageway in the rocking member of a vane associated with that chamber, said passageway coacting with parts of the mounting adjacent to which said rocking member rocks so that the parts of the mounting open and close an orifice at each end of said passageway independently of the vane, said displacement member being a hollow cylinder, a further displacement member mounted within said hollow cylinder, said further displacement member being provided with at least one abutment member and valve means, the construction and arrangement being such that said further displacement member coacts with the inner wall of said first displacement member to act as an inner pump, said further displacemEnt member carrying a plurality of abutments sliding in rocking members, said rocking members carrying passageways having orifices adapted to coact with parts of said first displacement member to form valve means connecting appropriate chambers on said inner pump with other passageways.
 3. The structure as claimed in claim 2 including members defining fluid passage-ways in said body, said fluid passage-ways being operatively connected to said means to regulate the admission to and exhausting from each chamber in sequence of a working fluid to induce orbiting of the displacement member and relative rotation between the shaft and housing.
 4. The structure as claimed in claim 2 in cluding ignition means operatively connected to each of the respective chambers. 